Haraiso
by mouse ichigo
Summary: When Itachi wakes from his paradise, Sasuke fails again. [Slight ItaSasu oneshot]


Disclaimer: Kishimoto-sensei and Shonen Jump owns all characters. The bit of Haraiso, by Merry, belong to the Japanese band Merry. I found the lyrics on Soulseek. Whoever translated the lyrics can email me if they want to be credited for it.

Itachi can use Mangekyo Sharingans against himself in this fic. Pretty weird, I know.

Warning: Angst, a bit of ItaSasu. Yes, that's _Uchihacest_, people. You have been warned.

Haraiso

"Your heart is just like a lunar eclipse, _pitch black_."

Haraiso, Merry

Try walking on a line, a line composed of thin-fibered strings that dare you to fall. This is the start, and there is the end. Fire burns beneath, warming your feet in dark rage and agony. Am I afraid? I think not.

I cross the vast plains of darkness. Step by step. Note that I'm deliberately walking slowly, to taunt the ones who had fallen way back. Faces emerge in the fire, only to plunge back in shrill cries of murder. I've killed them all, the sea of faces.

"…Never get away with this."

"I won't allow you to touch my child."

"Heh. Bastard… Are you going to kill me now?"

"Somehow… I knew you'd come for me."

"What…what's going on, dear cousin?"

They were a brave lot. Even in death, none forgot to call me a fiend. An ignominy, a monster. The greatest disgrace, the perfect defect of the clan. I watch them now and observe their writhing faces. Mangekyo Sharingan is a lot more useful than one can imagine. I see them all, and they live within me. Always burning with such passionate feelings, they inspire me so. But they could never hurt me. They're my paradise.

Then I stop dead on my track abruptly. The string feels lovely and taut against my imagined curled toes. I feel it calling me once more, prodding me away from this self-induced dream and bringing me back to reality.

"He's only eight years old… only a child…"

"Please… _He's your little brother!_"

I wake from my darkness, mildly irritated to find a pair of small hands clasped onto my neck. Such dainty, tiny hands… I tilt my head up slightly and stare at the intruder. Well then. Surprise, Surprise.

I meet an all too familiar pair of dark, bloody eyes. They're the eyes that remind me of deep, endless crimson lakes. Eyes that stare at me with such abhorrence, that I can't help but shiver in pleasure. They're so comforting, yet sadistic and drenched with death, murder, and despair. After all, they're the eyes that bring me my only solace. I gaze into the eyes that reflect my own.

"Hello, little brother."

He frowns in response and tightens his hold. I wonder if he understands the futility of his effort.

"How rude, Sasuke-kun." I scold lightly, "greet your older brother."

"You're not of any relation to me." He snaps.

"I'm the only family you have."

"I don't give a shit. I'll kill you and avenge my clan."

"That's exactly what I've asked you to do."

I stare at him indifferently. What a bitch my little brother has become. I have hoped that he'd mature and grow strong, but instead, he has become more annoying than ever.

"I've achieved the Mangekyo sharingan," he informs.

"Good."

"I've given everything up for this."

"I see."

"I've murdered my best friend."

"Naruto?"

"You made me a fucking _monster_, with these cursed eyes."

"Ah."

"And I'll use it against you, and kill you."

"Yes. I know."

He growls at me angrily. He tightens his grasp on my neck again, but I can feel his chakra drain away. I feel nothing; his hold has no power, no strength. Perhaps he's not ready yet.

"What are you waiting for?" I ask.

His Sharingans glare at me with brokenly. I can see his eyes deepening into a darker shade of red. They look raw and bruised, but he keeps the tears away. At least, that would save him some dignity.

"You…" he starts, "you're so eager for your death?"

Is that regret I see in his eyes? He hasn't matured at all. His lips tremble in absolute fury, yet his grip lacks power. Even in his hazy eyes, I see hesitance and hidden fear behind the circulating black sharingan orbs.

"You talk big, little brother." I reply, after moment of silence. "You talk of things you cannot accomplish."

His mouth slackens immediately.

Without another word, Sasuke disappears into the air and lands on a random tree. A forest, I note mildly; _so I was sleeping under a tree._

Shurikens, kunais, they're whirling towards me. I dodge all of them with ease. I guess it's time to "fight."

Sasuke attacks. I can feel his chakra darting from different branches of the trees. He's pretty fast. Normal eyes, perhaps of a passerby, would not be able to detect his location. He moves from one spot to another in less than half a second.

_CLANG_

We meet face to face again. With my thin katana, I'm holding off Sasuke's Kunai and his whole body weight that's fallen from the trees. Sasuke swiftly attacks me with his other arm, moving fast and cleverly.

_CLANG_

An aim for my stomach. Good thinking, little brother.

_CLANG_

Another blow for my legs. If he's faster, he could have done some damage.

_CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG_

The coward's going for my eyes. Perhaps I should stop playing with him.

While he reaches for my eyes again, I lean back and jam my katana up his arm, and feel the blood spray onto my face.

"Ngh."

He winces, trying to jump away, but I catch his retreating form with my right arm.

"Little brother," I start, holding him close, "you're still hopeless."

With that, I drop my katana and use my hands to grab at his torn arm. It's bleeding badly, dripping and marking the ground with its dark colors. I begin to press the wound, little by little, and watch his face contort with pain and anguish.

"_Hopeless_," I repeat, as soon as I hear his idiot jutsu chidori forming on his free hand. I crush the hand with brute force, hearing it crackle and break in my grasp. He groans quietly.

"Does it hurt, little brother?" I ask and let go of his hand.

"Does it hurt?" And let my hand climb over to his elbow.

I hear no response.

"_Does_ _it_?" I crush his elbow.

"It…it doesn't matter." He whispers.

"Hm?"

He doesn't say more. It's as if he's clamped his mouth shut. He avoids my eyes and hides under his bangs. I reach out to touch him.

It takes only a moment for me to realize that he's actually crying. He's not sobbing or weeping loudly, but he still looks pathetic. Tears do not suit the Uchihas. He looks absolutely weak and pathetic.

"Use it, dear brother," I ask and shake his form lightly. More blood runs down his arms. I glance at his pallid face. "The Mangekyo Sharingan."

"_Nnh_…." He groans.

After a moment, I grab his hair with my free arm and force him to stare at my face.

"Were you lying?"

"I…"

"If you have them, prove it to me."

"I…" His voice cracks hoarsely. "I won't."

"Why not?"

He avoids my eyes deliberately. Pitiful.

"Are you afraid?" I trace my long nails against his cheeks, drawing liquid lines on soft skin.

"No," he replies.

"Then why do you hesitate?"

No answer.

"You're such an annoyance, little brother. Your existence irritates me so."

"Maybe you should've killed me too." He mumbles.

"Hm?"

"…Just like the rest of them."

"Stop sulking, littler brother, and _tell me_. You said you killed the fox-carrier, Naruto. How did you defeat him?"

"What the fuck do you care?"

"Surely he was stronger than you." I press. He winces slightly in my grasp.

"He…he was."

"How did you kill him, then?"

More tears gather in his eyes.

"Answer me." I slam him against a tree trunk. He stares at the ground quietly, and allows his body to absorb the impact. He's still like a child. He breathes harshly, now, as tears fall freely down his face.

"H-he…" He stutters. It's just like in the past, when Sasuke was just a child—no more than five. After intentionally torturing a frog to death, Sasuke had tried to hide it from me. I had scolded him for lying. Then he apologized to the frog and began to cry. He regretted killing the animal, as he regrets killing Naruto now.

"I…I don't… I don't need to tell you anything…just kill me already." For the first time in a while, he looks at me directly. His face still resembles an expression of a broken, young boy, though he must be nearing twenty. He looks at me intently, his eyes no longer Sharingans.

And I understand immediately.

"He died willingly, didn't he?" I laugh. "And you killed him."

"Just kill me," he repeats.

"Dear brother, you have too much heart. You don't deserve to be an Uchiha."

"I don't care; I guess I'm better off dead." He stares at me with pleading eyes.

Perhaps it's the moonlight on his face, that I see my brother a little differently today. I have never seen him so submissive, so pathetic, so utterly _helpless_. I return his stare indifferently, observing his ashen face. Somehow… he looks prettier than usual. Almost beautiful.

The wind blows gently, caressing his black bangs against his mildly bloodied face. Cold tears cling onto the thick lashes that shade dull black eyes. His lips are swollen and red, as if he had just received a forceful and unwanted kiss.

"You're right; maybe you're better off dead." I lean into his face. He stiffens immediately and eyes me wearily.

"But… little brother, you're still alive…" I laugh softly and kiss his trembling eyes. They're closed, those pale, fluttering, beautiful butterfly eyes. His moist lashes feel heavy against my chin, and I breathe in its salty scent. It's a kind of a thick, pungent type of smell that makes me shiver in excitement. "You're alive and well, little brother."

He continues to shake in my hold. Perhaps he's not listening.

"Alive and well." I repeat, my voice barely above a whisper.

"No," he shakes his head, "no, I never wanted to be…"

I begin to kiss him gently, pushing my lips against his. He tastes like blood and fear.

"St…stop," he struggles, but I have him pinned against the tree. I bite his lips, and he opens his mouth. It feels good to kiss him.

I move down his chin and start sucking on his neck. He groans quietly and continues to cry in my arms. I leave bruises, teeth marks, and blood along his neck. He's shaking his head, as if in denial, and begins to mutter incoherently.

"S—stop it, please—Na..Naruto didn't," Sasuke gasps, "Naruto… he…"

I stop immediately. "He what, little brother?"

"He didn't die…willingly…" Sasuke tries to release himself. "We fought each other; you're wrong, Itachi."

"That what?"

"He didn't _want_ to die… but because of the Kyuubi, he felt… that he _should_ die."

Sasuke looks calm for a moment, his eyes turning grey and hollow. He gazes down with a small frown.

"I didn't want to kill him."

"But you killed him."

"I… I told him I couldn't."

"But you _did_ kill him."

"I…"

He looks confused for a moment, breathing raggedly with his mouth parted

half-parted. Did he not remember—the killing of his best friend?

"I…" He tries again.

"So I killed him."

Hm. This is amusing. I shake him a bit and force his eyes towards me. And for sure, I know he has killed Naruto. His black eyes show no signs of the advanced Sharingans, but he has acquired the Mangekyo Sharingan. He just can't bring himself to use it.

"You…" I lean closer, and breathe into Sasuke's ear. "You are amusing, but also a complete waste of my time."

And with quick moment, I slash his throat with my nails. His bloodied hands immediately reach for his neck, as fresh blood spills out. He's crumbling and gagging, as I jump back quickly away from his crumpled form.

I know this won't kill him, but I really don't care. Turning swiftly, I start my way across the forest again. It's not so difficult to find a spot away from my brother, from Konoha, and from anything familiar and similar to my past. It's an unknown spot in the forest, where I can dream of my paradise undisturbed. In less than a minute already—I've found the spot and begun to dream.

And when I return, I'm standing on the line again. I feel it pulsate beneath my feet, tightening and contracting. It's somehow thinner and tighter, as if I'm too heavy a burden for such a line.

I laugh humorlessly, and hear myself resonate everywhere. It's soon eclipsed by the strident cries of the dead. Somehow, it feels strange and different. They sound more desperate and agonized than before.

Perhaps it's just that he's a failure. Sasuke's too human. He will never have the heart to slay me. There is no hope for my clan. Yet here I stand, waiting, for him to come and free those below me… and perhaps to free me from myself also, as silly as it sounds. But for now, nothing matters. I will continue my path down the line, whether my brother succeeds or not. It does not matter anymore. After all, this is my paradise.

A/N: I… Yes I realize I just made Itachi a total psycho in this fic. And that this is a pretty twisted and weird fic. I tried to make it like…like Itachi could see hell through Mangekyo Sharingan. As in if Sasuke ever killed him, Itachi would break the line and fall over or something. Or something. Yes, I need sleep. This is a weird fic. Uhm. I'll go now and uh. Finish the other fics. Yes. Thanks for reading.

—mouse ichigo, FORMALLY known as isshi.


End file.
